As someone who lived in Manchester for a couple of years, and visited that area of Salford a few times (often for the shopping outlet!), interesting story:
While it is Salford’s media students who will be the obvious beneficiaries of this location, “it isn’t just a media building”, Hall says. “We want everyone to engage in there.”
The university is “contributing to the regeneration of the city through this”, he argues.
Regarding the proximity of the BBC and ITV, he adds: “It will certainly change us – that is why we have put all that investment into it.”
Other institutions’ vice-chancellors are expected to pay visits with a view to collaboration. “Media is such a burgeoning and complicated field that no one university can do everything,” Hall says.
Can Salford students expect to obtain BBC work placements as a result of the university’s presence at MediaCityUK?
“We have got to work that out in detail, but all of our communications with the BBC will be about creating those sorts of opportunities,” Hall says.
He adds that the corporation “can’t be expected to partner with a single university and we would never ask them to”. He refers instead to “collaborative networks of universities”.
Hall adds that “if you’re taught down in MediaCity, there is no doubt that you would have a leading advantage in getting a placement with the BBC or ITV.
“Students will be drinking coffee in the same places as producers and content developers – that is going to help.”
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